Building a Sustainable Tomorrow: Reducing Plastic Footprint in the Society Importance of Circular Economy

On an average, production of plastic globally crosses 150 Million tons per year of which India account for 9.4 million. It is estimated that approximately 70% of plastic packaging products are converted into plastic waste in a short span of which 60% is recycled, most of it by the informal sector.  Recycling rate in India is considerably higher than the global average of 20%. Still, there is still over 9,400 tons of plastic waste which is either land filled or ends up polluting streams or groundwater resources.

While some kinds of plastic do not decompose at all, others could take up to 450 years to break down. The recycling of a virgin plastic material can be done 2-3 times only, because after every recycling, the plastic material deteriorates due to thermal pressure and its life span is reduced.  Hence recycling is not always a safe and permanent solution for plastic waste disposal, rather it should focus more on reduction, resource recovery and create a circular economy (CE). Currently, ~40% of plastic waste in India ends up being uncollected for recycling. Proper management of this waste can create ~14 lakhs jobs and could potentially represent a ~$2bn opportunity.

The Government of India notified Plastic Waste Management (PWM) Rules, 2016 on 18thMarch,2016, superseding Plastic Waste (Management & Handling) Rules, 2011. These rules were further amended and named as ‘Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2018. These rules shall apply to every Waste Generator, Local Body, Gram Panchayat, Manufacturer, Importer, Producer and Brand Owner: Focuses on 4 R’s: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Recovery. Plastic Waste Management Rules 2016 mandated the producers and brand owners to devise a plan in consultation with the local bodies to introduce a collect-back system. This system is known as the Extended Producers Responsibility (EPR). Several policy measures already introduced in India – for instance, Zero Defect, Zero Effect scheme, plastics waste Management rules, e-waste rules, BIS standards for CE principles. Corporates in India are also taking up initiatives. For example, Reliance converts 2bn+ PET bottles to polyester yarn annually. Government is also encouraging construction of plastic waste based polymerbitumen roads. As per a report, Maharashtra of Government plans to re-pave 10,000 kms of road using 50,000 tons of plastic waste.

Mumbai Metropolitan Region is highly industrialized, urbanised and densely populated with high amount of municipal, biomedical and hazardous waste getting generated with 13000 MT /day as of 2016 out of which only 29% of the MSWs are collected and managed properly. At the same time city has one of the biggest dumping ground of Asia (Deonar, in central Mumbai) which often creates stringent air pollution due to indiscriminate burning of the wastes along with plastic. Though, city has state of the art technology in some pockets that integrates wastes management with limited back end supply chain and IEC. Maharashtra has banned disposable products manufactured from plastic and thermocol (polystyrene).  However, being the economic capital with business community and tourist destination and lifestyle; usage of mineral water, shampoo and conditioners are highest in this city and only 20% goes back to resource recovery in the absence of structured resource recovery depot/kiosks or Reverse Vending Machines. At the same time, Mumbai has one of the highest slum population with open drainage with more than 5,000 community toilets and often indiscriminate disposal of wastes, especially plastic wastes are responsible for chocking of drain, toilet pans and flooding during the monsoon. A large belt of mangrove, Mithi River (only surface water body within the city) is destroyed every year because dumping of plastic wastes which has been a major green shield and normal drainage of the city.

With plastic ban coming into effect on June 23^rd, 2018 the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM/BMC) placed 310-member Blue Squad to effectively implement the plastic ban policy in the city. The effort was made to recognise and acknowledge how single-use plastic is creating a major menace in cities. More than anything, for Mumbai, which is a coastal city, this plastic waste is threatening marine life, ruining o pristine beaches, choking drains and killing rivers. Each of the inspectors in the blue squad has been authorized to take action with an authority letter and carry an identity card. The blue squad are NOT daily cleanup marshals. They are not contractual employees, but employees of the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai. At any point, any public servant who has served for some years can be identified. They will know the act and the law. There is a huge scope to scale this up and take the ban to a logical end as well as sensitize the citizens.

Organisation like Safai Bank in Mumbai is doing excellent work on Multi Lamented Plastic and its processing from School, Society and Rag Pickers.

As per M Waste Management Rules of 2016 suggest two methods of disposal: 1. Use it for making asphalt roads and 2. Use as a fuel in cement factories via a technique called co-processing

This is the benefit

• Co-processing in cement kiln
• Destroys waste materials through high temperatures and
• long residence time
• Avoids formation of harmful dioxins and furans
• Leaves no residue to be landfilled
• Reduces carbon footprint as calorific value of the waste
• is recovered and subsitutes for fossil fuels
• High material / mineral recovery from the waste
• Approved technology by Basel Convention; listed as a
• preferred option in Waste Management Rules of 2016